Food For Thought
Time is the ultimate currency in today’s world, a point freely reflected in the attitudes and culture of major metropolitan cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. A rapid number of services have been cultivated, ripened, and picked, in an effort to meet the demands of our current fast-paced and work-centric culture. While these admittedly handy services are a "go-to" thing for busy [old and young] professionals alike, they have negatively impacted the lifestyle, culture, and dining table of the common man and woman.
For many career-oriented individuals, staying “on top of things” simply means being punctual. People have forsaken the traditional lifestyle habits of cooking and cleaning, in exchange for a few extra minutes of downtime, per day. To make matters worse, most individuals squander the extra time they have literally worn themselves ragged to earn, burning it on the recreational use of social media, aimless perusing of thoughtless websites, or engaging in otherwise additionally unhealthy lifestyle habits. The borderline misuse (or rather overuse) of these services, in conjunction with potentially unproductive past-times, has resulted in the bizarre social acceptance of lazy behavior, in regards to caring for one's well-being.
Unbeknownst to many, my mind and my ideas are how I make my living. It pays for my automatic transmission vehicle, my clothes, my food, my shower, my ability to sit and write posts like this— everything— and overall, my day is plated with a rigorous helping of analytical thinking, complete with a massive portion of problem solving, on the side. Even after eating my way through the pile of texts, emails, and phone calls, I still manage to thrive, without the host of services promising to make my life “better" or a little less "busy." I don't avoid these services out of spite or righteousness, I do it to simply to avoid nearing the point of apathy.
Even with a busy schedule, I walk to the grocery store, I bicycle around the city rather than using my car, and I refuse to have food delivered to my door, when I can pick it up or cook it myself. No matter how little time I have, the value of selecting groceries and preparing my own food is not lost on me. Picking up a phone and “googling" something is a fairly new habit for humanity— after all, we once relied on the five senses to make decisions (never mind the sixth). In the current age of snack-foods, fast-food binges, midnight meals, takeout, and all-nighters, it's about time professionals begin to focus more on the food they are using to fuel themselves and their future endeavors, rather than the perceived convenience of these services.
Being outdoors in large crowds is not my idea of fun but selecting food for consumption is and always will be a monumentally important task— one I am willing to brave a crowd for. It is certainly more engaging to leave behind the cornucopia of stickers that flashier grocery stores provide, along with the grocery receipt comparable to the cost of purchasing a limb from whosoever happened to pick my vegetables that week.
Upon my arrival, I was floored by how few people wore spandex at the Farmer’s market. While I’m all-for grocery shoppers striking yoga poses in line at the juice bar, it’s always a relief to see real pants and a beanie.
Since most of the food was unlabeled, I had to rely on my eyes and gut to make my selection, recalling a quip from a successful Fine Art photographer, who once told me not to place labels below my photographs, for exhibitions. His thinking (with which I wholeheartedly agree on this matter), was that people tend to read labels before studying the photo. It was sound advice and I believe that it holds true for the food that we select and eat, as well.
After deciphering the acronyms associated with my produce, I determined that it was fresh, healthy, and free of anything that could cause bodily harm. I took the produce home, cooked it, and ate it. It was fantastic and I couldn't recommend it more!
